Twin Tiers' Top 10

By ANDREW LEGARE
Star-Gazette
alegare@stargazette.com

Dynasty is a word many television viewers associate with Heather Locklear.



Star-Gazette file photo Mike Sorge, who graduated in 2000, is one of hundreds of players who have helped make the Corning East boys lacrosse team the top local dynasty.

Dynasty is a word sports commentators throw around with the same frequency Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier changes quarterbacks.

But for true dynasties -- ones that would make even the Ming family jealous -- you need look no further than the fields and gymnasiums of the Twin Tiers.

These are the teams that other teams hate to play and love to beat because they are at the top of the heap year after year.

It is no coincidence that these dynysties have much in common, with literally hundreds of people playing a part in their success.

There are the youth programs that get the athletes started.

There are the head coaches and assistant coaches who invest way more in the programs than their paychecks would indicate.

There are the parents who drive the athletes to the practices, and who cheer the loudest on game day.

There are the administrators who offer the support needed for these teams to succeed, and the people who make sure the venues are ready for the abuse the athletes are about to deliver.

And of course there are the athletes themselves, who devote more time to the sport than most people know, while at the same time finding time to finish their algebra homework.

These dynasties are team efforts in the truest respect. And here are the 10 dynasties that have shined the brightest. Today, they shine together.

No. 1 -- Corning East boys lacrosse

The Trojans have failed to advance to a state championship game each of the last three seasons. That it's even worth mentioning that explains why this program is clearly the cream of the Twin Tiers crop.

East has not only boasted one of the Northeast's top lacrosse programs over the last two decades, it has also helped make the sport of lacrosse in Corning akin to basketball in Indiana.

Kids in Corning often can hold a lacrosse stick before they know how to tell time, and the crowds for the Trojans' game against archrival Corning West are bigger than most high school football rivalries.

Corning lacrosse is big. And Corning East lacrosse is king. Among the Trojans' credentials:

- A 578-105 record since the program started in 1967, with only one losing season. That's roughly 85 victories for every 100 games played.

- The won a state Class B championship in 1990 and have finished second in the state seven times in the last 14 years.

- Nineteen sectional championships, including 18 in a row dating back to 1986.

"Quote from another coach.

For East to reach such lofty heights, it all boils down to reach for the pie in the sky.

"For our program, a successful year is getting to the state title game," said East coach Bob Streeten, who has a 375-70 record since succeeding Joe Corcoran as coach before the 1982 season.

"If you want to succeed at that level each and every year, regardless of talent and the level of commitment, that has to be the goal."

Fittingly enough, goal is a word that's uttered a lot around the East boys lacrosse program.

Goals like state championships and keeping the all-time unbeaten record against archrival Corning West intact. Or from an individual standpoint, earning a trip to the Empire State Games or playing Division I lacrosse, something 66 East players have done since Streeten became coach.

Perhaps the hardest part for Streeten is that no matter what, there's always another goal for the program left to achieve.

"At times assistant coach Randy Holden has said that probably one of my biggest faults is I don't stop and smell the roses," Streeten said.

Holden takes a broad view of the East program, going so far as to offer encouragement to youngsters who may be the next lacrosse star for the Trojans.

Most of the youngsters come up through an East feeder program that Streeten calls "a cornerstone of our success." Many other teams have followed suit since East started its youth program when Streeten became coach.

"One thing that's occured over the last 22 years is that just about every program now has some sort of youth feeder program," he said. "It's one thing that's made it more difficult."

Other lacrosse teams may have gained on the powerhouse in Corning, but they still have a long way to go. For that, Streeten said, he has the players to thank.

"The majority of kids I've had the great pleasure to work with at Corning East have been just wonderful," he said. "When you see that it means as much to the student-athletes to participate and be successful, I think that's one of the genuine awards of coaching."